Statue of St John in Katowice

The statue of St John stands in Katowice-Śródmieście, where św. Jana Street meets the Market Square. It most probably depicts St John the Evangelist, and today's św. Jana Street took its name from it. The object standing here is a replica; the original is in Brynów.

History of the statue

The statue, carved in sandstone, was erected in 1816 at the crossing of the north-south and east-west roads that cut through the middle of the village of Katowice. It was consecrated on 11 July 1816 by Father R. Lubecki. In 1875, when św. Jana Street was being paved, the statue was dismantled and, because it obstructed traffic, moved to a private plot in Brynów. In 1916, on its hundredth anniversary, the residents of Brynów restored it.

The replica and the original

On the initiative of the Upper Silesian Union, a replica made by Mirosław and Jacek Kiciński was set up in 1999 where św. Jana Street meets the Market Square. Both statues survive today: the replica on św. Jana Street, and the original in Brynów, on a plot at Dworska 2, so it is not a place open to visitors.

Practical information

• Location of the replica: where św. Jana Street meets the Market Square, Katowice-Śródmieście.
• What to expect: a small statue by the street, easy to see on a walk around the Market Square.